Saturday 19 January 2008

Diet and Nutrition and behavioral problems

Talking about diet and nutrition, I would like to share with you an experience that my very dear friend Emma once had. Emma is a HET practitioner and trainer. She is now also regional manager for the Healthy Schools Programme and was instrumental in many of the healthy schools getting their accreditation by training up HET practitioners in school to assist the children and their families. She is a remarkable ambassador for HET!

Anyway, back to the story….. we were talking one day with the HET group about the importance of home visits and providing support to the families of the children we work with, helping them to access the HET tool kit for life.
It is always helpful to visit the family at home especially when the parents or carers may not have had a particularly happy time at school as it can trigger what we call ‘core issues’ – or unhappy associations from their own schooldays.

Emma had arranged to make a home visit to see a young man with whom she was working. He belonged to a ‘travelling Family’ and was missing a lot of school because he found it difficult to settle, make friends and couldn’t cope with the rejection. This all reflected in his unhappy behaviour and consequently he was missing an awful lot of schooling.
Having arranged to visit the family one day after school, when she knocked on the door a very apologetic ‘Mom’ answered. ‘Mom’ expressed concern that the family had just settled down for their evening meal. Emma said she really wouldn’t take too much time, she just wanted to see the young man concerned and give him his ‘Flower’ drops to help with his behaviour and would then leave them in peace.
The family had been housed in area where a lot of other travelling families had been housed.
At this point Emma was led into the family sitting room – not an overly large sitting room as it happens but there sat the young man concerned, with his Dad, Gran, Granddad, Aunty, and 4 brothers and sisters, all sitting round in a circle with the family pet… standing up the corner was a fully grown cross shire pony (we’re talking about 12 hands here folks!)
The family were sitting in a circle and the meal consisted of a can of beans and a fork. Each member of the family in turn, took a mouthful of beans ( cold!) and duly passed on the can and the fork to the next person. When it reached the pony he too was given a forkful of beans (yes off the same fork!) and then the can and the fork proceeded on yet another round of the group.

Emma, myself and the group all agreed it must have been a Night MARE!!!

True story folks!!

Click the link for more info on HET and how to deal with kids behavioral problems

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